


Some Friendly Advice

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-17 18:24:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3539459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven is feeling down, and Sadie has the perfect advice. Featuring emotionally repressed Lars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Friendly Advice

Steven has come to realize the Gems don’t understand human conceptions of gender. Their off-planet ideas don’t include any real definition of gender at all. When he hesitantly asked Pearl one day about their forms and  masculine or feminine preferences and shape-shifting, she said Gems have never been prescribed any kind of identity binary. “Born as shape-shifters, our forms are mere reflections of what we have seen and the physical attributes we like. There aren’t any rules to who, or what, we want to become,” is how she put it.

Steven wished it was that easy for him, especially as a half-Gem. He likes being human, but sometimes he wonders what it would be like to be a whole Gem. Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet know how he was raised, but they don’t really understand anything about social expectations. Whenever he gets down about it he only receives a pat on the shoulder from Garnet, a humorous jab from Amethyst, and an unsuccessfully long-winded attempt at explaining the ins and outs of personal identity from Pearl. It usually ends in Steven flopping down on his bed and playing video games until he falls asleep.

His dad isn’t that much of a help either, despite all of his support. A slap on the knee, fatherly advice, and ukelele jam session can’t erase all of Steven’s problems, no matter how comforting.

Steven finds himself lying on the floor of the Big Donut break room after an especially stressful few days. The door opens and he gets knocked in the head with a mop.

“Oops, sorry,” Lars flatly apologizes.

“It’s okay,” Steven sighs.

Lars sets the mop against the wall and stands over him. “Did Sadie let you in?” Lars asks, hands on his hips.

“Yeah,” Steven says.

“Since you’re an honorary part-time employee and don’t cut into my pay , I don’t really care. But you’re kind of in my way.”

Steven scoots to the right, hitting the legs of one of the fold-up chairs carelessly. The bottom of the table overlaps the ceiling, decorated with wads of gum. “Sorry.”

Lars’ face is out of sight, but his ankles stay. Steven can see his socks from underneath the cuffs of his jeans. They’re black with red polka-dots. “Nice socks.”

“Stop ogling me,” Lars snaps. He yanks the ends of his jeans down, glances at the closed door, and crosses his legs on the floor. “So,” he starts awkwardly, not making eye contact as he rolls the plugs in his ears, which are white today, “um, you’ve been acting weird.”

“Life’s endless nuances continue to astound me.”

Lars snorts and narrows his eyes, drops his hands in his lap. “Look, I’m trying to be nice here.” He pauses, brow furrowed. “Do you even know what nuances are?”

“No,” Steven admits. “Pearl used that word when she talked to me earlier today.”

Lars sets his chin on his hand. “About what?”

Steven’s face reddens. “Stuff,” he mumbles. “Like. How I was born a girl type stuff.”

“Oh.” Lars looks away again.

“It’s okay,” Steven assures. “I know you probably don’t get it.”

Lars swallows. “Yeah.” He slaps his knees and rises. “Well, it was nice talking to you, champ. Let me, just—maybe you should talk to Sadie.”

“Okay.”

Lars turns to leave, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Good luck with your nuances.”

“Good luck with your nice socks.”

The door opens just as Lars takes a step, and Sadie squeaks as she bumps into him with a box in her hands.

“Jeeze, watch it,” Lars reprimands, taking the box. “Is this a donut emergency?”

“No, it’s not,” Sadie replies. She crosses her arms. “I’m just doing my job. You wouldn’t understand.”

Lars rises from the inventory haphazardly stored in the corner. “Wow. Nice one!”

Sadie scoffs. The toe of her shoe hits Steven’s foot. She looks down, concerned. “Steven? You’re still here?”

“Indeed,” Steven confirms.

Sadie glances at Lars, who shrugs. She kneels beside Steven. “Are you okay? I thought you just wanted to steal our TV for a little bit, or something. Not, uh, the floor.”

Lars moves to stand behind them both. “He’s having an existential crisis,” he informs.

Steven turns to Sadie. “It’s true. Life’s mysteries haunt me.”

“What?” Sadie frowns. She turns around and slaps Lars’ knee. “Why didn’t you help him!”

He jerks away. “Ugh, you know I don’t do emotional stuff!”

She scowls. “Oh, I know that better than anyone.”

Lars clenches his fists, jaw set. He and Sadie glare at each other for a moment, until Lars looks away and storms out of the room.

Sadie flinches when he shuts the door, the anger falling from her face. She turns back to Steven and forces a smile. “Forget him. What’s up?”

Steven finally rises and holds his knees to his chest. “It’s stupid,” he mumbles.

“Hey, I bet it isn’t.” Sadie nudges his shoulder. “Come on, bud.”

Steven messes with a hole in the knee of his jeans. “Nobody ever gets it.”

“Gets what?” Sadie ventures cautiously.

“What it’s like. Being me.”

Realization dawns on her face. “Oh! Oh. That. Well, you’re in the right place. Well, sort of, since I’m the opposite. The general principle is the same, though.” She smiles warmly. “You know, you can say the word. It’s not bad.”

Steven squirms. “I dunno. My dad is really nice. And the Gems don’t know human stuff at all, they think I’m totally normal. I guess I’m lucky. I don’t feel normal, though.”

“You are normal,” Sadie assures. “Besides the whole magic thing.”

“Heh.” Steven grins. “Besides that.”

“And it’s good your dad is nice,” she continues. “Even if he can’t get it, I’m sure he’s always willing to listen.”

“What!” Steven yelps--“I can’t talk about it with  _him!_ ” He groans. “I tried talking to Connie. She was nice too, but didn’t really know what to say.”

“Sounds like you’re confused about a lot, huh?”

“Totally.”

Sadie crosses her legs to get comfortable. “Well, the first thing you need to do is accept it.”

Steven blushes and glances at the floor. “I don’t have a problem with it.”

Sadie innocently frowns. “With what? I dunno what ‘it’ is.” Steven mutters something under his breath, and she leans closer, grinning. “What was that?”

“I AM TRANSGENDER!” Steven shouts, throwing his fists in the air.

Sadie laughs. “Good job! I’m proud of you.”

Steven drops his hands, a weight off his shoulders. “Wow! That actually helped.”

“Told you.” Sadie stands and holds out her hand. “Wanna come help me clean the slushie machine?”

“Uh,  _yeah!_ ” Steven takes her hand and scrambles up.

She briefly squeezes his shoulder as they leave the break room. “Everything’s going to work out. Don’t worry.”

Steven smiles. “I won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> wanted to write something after jailbreak, but couldn't come up with an idea, i was still reeling. so i dragged this out and dusted it off. thanks for reading! ill write something more developed soon.


End file.
